Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.

Learn to use stress management techniques and coping mechanisms, such as deep breathing or guided imagery.

Don't:

Self medicate--Don't rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce stress.

Try to control events or other people.

Read too much into your love-ones emotional outbursts-they may be related to the disease and not meant to be personal.

Put up with psychological abuse. See also the previous topic.

Put up with ANY physical abuse ANYTIME.

Relaxation Techniques
Most people don't have a plan for coping with caregiver stress. Fortunately,
there are a number of relaxation techniques and coping mechanisms that you can
use to help deal with stress, such as:

Two-minute relaxationSwitch your thoughts to yourself and your
breathing. Take a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly. Mentally scan your body.
Notice areas that feel tense or cramped. Quickly loosen up these areas. Let go
of as much tension as you can. Rotate your head in a smooth, circular motion
once or twice. (Stop any movements that cause pain.) Roll your shoulders
forward and backward several times. Let all of your muscles completely relax.
Recall a pleasant thought for a few seconds. Take another deep breath and
exhale slowly. You should feel relaxed.

Mind relaxationClose your eyes. Breathe normally through your
nose. As you exhale, silently say to yourself the word "one," a short word such
as "peaceful," or a short phrase such as "I feel quiet." Continue for 10
minutes. If your mind wanders, gently remind yourself to think about your
breathing and your chosen word or phrase. Let your breathing become slow and
steady.

Deep breathing relaxationImagine a spot just below your navel.
Breathe into that spot, and fill your abdomen with air. Let the air fill you
from the abdomen up, then let it out, like deflating a balloon. With every
long, slow breath out, you should feel more relaxed.

Guided imageryGuided imagery is a meditative technique that
involves focusing on a particular sensory image to create a specific physical
reaction. Guided imagery (also called guided meditation) is a form of mind-body
therapy that can bring about deep relaxation and positive focus, the state of
mind and body most conducive to healing. Guided imagery also can be used to
release tension, anxiety, and stress.

BiofeedbackBiofeedback helps a person learn stress-reduction
skills by providing precise, immediate information about muscle tension, heart
rate, and other vital signs as a person attempts to relax. It is used to learn
total body relaxation and also to gain control over certain physiological
functions that cause tension and physical pain.